


I'm not fond of asking

by hanasupersong



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 22:09:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9924131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanasupersong/pseuds/hanasupersong
Summary: A small moment between Ling and Lan Fan after she escapes her fight with Bradley.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was clearing out my writings folder and I came across this fic I wrote a VERY long time ago for a prompt on tumblr. I can't remember what the prompt was but the fic is cute and I thought it was worth posting in the hopes that at least one person might enjoy it!

Red.

That was first and last thing Lan Fan saw on the bed which she laid, teeth grinding into old cloth, the lingering taste of copper on her cracked lips, fingers curled so tightly against the bed sheets that they ripped, the gentle soothing words of Miss Hawkeye lost amidst her own muffled sobs, commending her bravery. There were several arms pressed against her limbs restraining her movement and spasms as her legs flailed and jerked uncontrollably against the sudden sting and tugs on her wound. She blinked hard against the wetness forming in her eyes. She would not cry. She would not **cry**. Those were her last few thoughts as she fell back into unconsciousness, before the pain completely overtook her.

When she came to, the first face she sees is that of Edward Elric's. Everything about the room is unfamiliar, and her fatigue is overwhelming. For a second she mistakens the Colonel's uniform for that of Bradley's and she flinches, the burning pain in her arm reminding her very harshly, how she had won.

‘ _I defeated him. That battle is over._ ’ She thinks blinking tiredly.

A clatter of medical equipment snaps her back to reality and she manages a weak smile at all the concerned faces watching her. No one is rushing her to ask what happened or how she escaped. She humours Edward about a request for automail and Edward's face lights up and he and Alphonse promise her something about an automail engineer, the best one in Rush Valley. She’s too exhausted to fully take notice. Despite her worn and weak state, she still notices how there's one face missing in the room, she furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

“The young lord…?” she asks voice straining, her throat felt coarse like sand. She must have screamed a lot more than she originally thought.

“He's just waiting outside, we can give you two a moment if you wish.” Roy says. Edward looks at him strangely.

“Why the hell would we do that? Doesn't she need everyone keeping an eye on her in case the guy comes back?” His younger brother grips his shoulder, whirling the smaller boy around and ushers him out before he was able to prove himself a bigger fool. Lan Fan huffs something resembling laughter at their behaviour, whereas the Colonel merely scoffs and rolls his eyes at Edward’s crude behaviour.

“Thank you.” Lan Fan says. “For everything.” she adds. Roy nods at her words, a smile tugging at his lips.

“It was the least we could do.” He turns to Miss Hawkeye and Dr Knox leading them both out of the small room. In the short seconds Lan Fan waits for Ling, her mind is spluttering endless possibilities, her memory is so fogged, images unclear, faces and words blurred. She remembers up to the sewer escape, but she can hardly recall seeing Ling. ‘ _Did he make it out safe_?’ Her heart lurches at the thought of him having to return home in a body bag and her whole body flinches, stomach suddenly twisted in knots.

Ling follows in, shoulders hunched and eyes glossy and puffed, as though he had been weeping. A suspicious coating of red, which Lan Fan presumed was her own, stains his pale face and makes him look all the more drained and exhausted. His knuckles are wet with blood and his skin is adorned with yellowish hues of bruises, already beginning to flourish on his chest.

In short he looks like hell.

' _But he's alive_.' Lan Fan thinks letting out a small sigh of relief.

He stares at Lan Fan and for a long moment there was a heavy silence weighing down on them both. For once, Ling seems to be at a loss for words.  

Lan Fan strains at pushing herself up, the pain in her arm is terrible and she has to grit her teeth not to yell out in pain but she manages alone. She finds her gaze lowered at the grey bedsheets pooled around her feet. She can’t bring herself to look directly at him. Not like this. Not when she’s so weak. She doesn’t want to sit in silence, it had to be broken before it engulfs them both. Licking her dry lips, she closes her eyes and steels herself against the hard mattress, posture stern and disciplined. 

“Young Lord--.” she says. Ling has already moved from standing in front of the bed to by her side in an instant, he sits next to her hand reaching to up to her cheek. Her eyes snap open at the touch and her posture instantly breaks. She looks up to Ling with eyes wide. He cannot look at her either, but his gaze is fixed onto her bloody stump. A familiar expression of guilt that Lan Fan has been able to read since childhood is clear on his face. She hates the way he looks at her like this. Like she's fragile, like she could break, like he's the one at fault when in reality it was her idea and the monster chasing her that forced her to take such drastic measures. His fingers brush the stray black strands of hair from her cheek, grazing gently against her skin. She doesn't flinch at his touch. He is still silent and deep in thought as he keeps his hand rested on Lan Fan's good shoulder.

“Ling...” she says breaking the formality between them, she finds herself staring at his lips, observes how their pressed in a fine line, how soft they look, inches from her own.

They can't take it. They lean in, closing the small gap.

Their noses bump and the angle is awkward, neither one is quite certain as to what they're doing, but it doesn’t matter about their skill or experience. This kiss meant something different, something far more intimate than any sexual act could be, something promised long ago, an act waiting to be initiated. Lan Fan's fingers grip onto the sheets and his arms find their way around her waist, he holds onto her gently like that eyes closed. When they pull apart, Ling finally breaks his silence.

“I was so scared.” He whispers. “I thought I had lost you, I didn’t know what I would have done.” He presses more kisses against her cheeks, her forehead, her eyelids, on her lips again and one final kiss against her collarbone, inches away from the bloodied bandages. He’s breathing low and steady, but Lan Fan could feel his heart hammering through the bandages against hers. He sighs shakily into her skin. “I’m sorry.” Lan Fan stares at him, face twisted in a frown. Why was he apologising for her mistake? Why was he apologising for her doing her duty? This was not his mistake or his sacrifice. It was hers. So why was he in so much pain? “I’m sorry.” he repeats as though it is a chant. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Lan Fan.”

Her hand moves from being twisted in bed sheets up to his hair, her fingers gently brushing through his hair, allowing it to fall around his face and spill onto his shoulders. She presses a kiss to the top of his forehead. A soft act he used to do to her as children. It was his way of saying sorry, now she's adopted it.

“It was my mistake.” She speaks assuredly. “You shouldn't--.”

“Don't.” His voice is broken, he is choking back the tears. “Don't...say that Lan Fan. Please, just...” He trails off, biting down on his own tongue to try and stop his tears. “I almost lost you.”

“You can't lose me.” She says quietly. “You know I’m stronger than that.” She’s speaking through gritted teeth, words which should not be spoken to her master, but they had already crossed one physical boundary. Speaking out of line surely wouldn't be too terrible now. “I’m not something you can lose so easily.”

“I know.” Ling says softly. “but you're not disposable Lan Fan. I don't want you to ever do something so risky again.”

“I can't follow that order and you know it." She says pained.

"It's not an order, I just can't stand to see you hurt for my sake!" Ling says hurt.

"If it comes down to my life or yours, I will take any risk my lord. That is how it has always been and always will be.” She says firmly. Ling snaps up and opens his mouth to say something back in protest, but Lan Fan is quick and cuts him off before he can speak. “If you do believe I can be killed so easily, then you truly are an idiot.” she says, rousing a small chuckle from Ling.

“You’ve never called me that before.” He notes.

“I haven’t done a lot of things with you before today.” She corrects, she pulls back to look at his face, a tired smile playing on her face. Tipping his chin up, she presses a small chaste kiss to his lips. “Trust me when I say this my lord,” she mumbles. “I cannot be lost so easily.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on twitter very frequently now @bambiietta and I would love to hear your thoughts on this fic! I hope you enjoyed! :D


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